Timestamp - A New Home
by SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: Continues a few years after By Your Side when the boys bring a young Ororo back to her friends.
1. Chapter 1

_*Now everyone, please keep in mind this is a very AU story, which means that Storm's return to the X-Men and her return to adult size are going to be of my own making. I could've tried to follow the comic line and just sort of slip Spencer in there, but, well, I didn't want to, and I'm the writer here, so I'm totally doing it the way I want to. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. If you've read the comics around this time, just sort of pretend those comics didn't exist, all right? *grins* Merci!*_

* * *

It was way too cold to be standing out here. The sky was already starting to darken as the sun slipped lower on the horizon and the breeze was getting chillier by the minute. Spencer LeBeau, once Spencer Reid, pulled his jacket a little tighter around himself in an effort to keep warm as he leaned against the side of car behind him. It'd been three years since he and Remy had left New Orleans that night of their banishment and the now nineteen year old still hadn't gotten used to the cooler weather that could be found in the rest of the country. He'd spent the first chunk of his life in Las Vegas and then his teenage years in New Orleans; cold weather was definitely not something he was used to. It wasn't something Remy was used to, either. The man lived in his trench coat just to attempt to stay warm and Spencer knew he layered up underneath it.

Spencer wore the same jacket he'd always worn, the same style one that Remy had introduced him to all those years ago. They were the ones with the sleeve ends that had holes for his thumbs to slide through, making sure that the sleeve would stay down, and it had both a hood and a built in muffler that allowed him to hide his face and his hair. The front of the hood even came down to a slight point that helped shield his face while still giving him clear enough line of sight. They were warm, comfortable, easily hid his weapons on the inside, and they didn't move around while he worked. Basically, for Spencer, they were the perfect thief's jacket, and he pretty much lived in his. He had three, just so he could always have one around.

It came in handy to have something that could hide his hair. The years had only brightened the silver of Spencer's hair. It made his one silver eye stand out more, as well as the silver flecks that dotted his brown eye. Sometimes, Spencer cursed it. He hated that his _weirdness_ was even more visible than before. Remy, however, loved it, and he wasn't shy about saying it, or about snarling at someone who dared say otherwise.

Their young companion loved it, too. Spencer turned his head to look over towards the motel room that sat just behind the car he was leaning against. The young woman with them was just coming out. Ororo—or Storm, as she was called. It made sense that she liked his unique silver hair, considering her pure white hair, which was such a contrast to her dark skin.

The day that Spencer had first dreamed of this young girl, he'd never guessed just how important she'd become to them in such a short time. He and Remy had traveled a lot since their banishment. They'd met a lot of people, been in a lot of situations, and even made a friend or two along the way. But they hadn't found anyone who had touched them quite the way that Ororo did. There'd been an almost instant connection between them that hadn't faded. It'd probably helped that Spencer's dreams had told them quite a bit about her before Remy rescued her. They'd told him about the woman taken by the Nanny, de-aged down to preteens without her memories. About the young girl who, once free from the Nanny, had become a target of a being known as the Shadow King. And they'd told him a bit more than that. About the woman she'd been and the woman she would be again, with their help.

That was what they were doing now; they were helping her. Remy had rescued her and brought her back to Spencer and the two had taken her in. Worked with her, trained with her, taken care of her. But now, with her memories returned, it was time to do the one thing that Spencer had known was coming, something that he knew would change both his and Remy's lives—it was time to take her home.

Remy wasn't all that thrilled about that and he wasn't the least bit shy about letting that be known. The arguments it had spawned were quite epic, and were also part of the reason that Spencer was outside now. He'd wanted to get away from it at least for a little bit.

Apparently his luck had run out, because Remy wasn't far behind Ororo when she came out the door. The two were carrying things to the trunk of the car and arguing the entire time. Spencer resisted the urge to sigh. This was their twenty-second argument about this and Spencer was quite frankly rather tired of it. Spencer had known from the minute he'd sent Remy to go help a girl he'd seen in his dreams that one day it would lead them to this. That they would be taking this young girl back to the people she knew, the friends who were like family, so that they could help her recover from what had been done to her. Just as he knew that it was going to mean a big change for him and Remy as well. But Remy wasn't happy with any of it.

It seemed that Ororo was quite fed up with the whole conversation, too. She was glaring hotly at him as she slammed the trunk lid shut. Her voice, though, still held at least a semblance of calm to it. "Remy, I assure you. These people will not harm me."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about dat, _non_?" Remy snapped. With a flourish of his coat, he spun round and headed back into the room.

Spencer shook his head and watched as Ororo closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths until she was calm once more. When she opened her eyes, they locked right on him, instinctively seeking out the calming presence that usually sat between them when they bickered. Spencer met her gaze easily and offered her a small, reassuring smile. Time to play peacemaker. It seemed to happen frequently. "He's just worried, Ororo. He'll settle down once he sees that everything is okay."

The preteen sighed gustily and moved over to lean against the car beside him. She was one of the few people that Spencer allowed into his personal space like this. Ororo was very hands on, always touching when she spoke. The more upset she was, the more she touched. It was just natural to her. Even now, she pressed in next to him and dropped her head down to Spencer's shoulder. "I've told him that none of them will harm me. They are my friends, Spencer."

"I know that. He knows it too. But, Roro," He brought his hand up to lightly cup her cheek in that gesture that he'd learned these past few weeks that helped soothe her so well. His brown eye warmed and his silver one glowed in a familiar look of caring as he smiled fondly down at her with a look that went far beyond his mere nineteen years. "Remy doesn't let many people in close. Very few people ever get the privilege of really becoming entrenched in that big heart of his. You? You're in there deep. And now he has to take you back to people from your old life, a life before us, who might be able to help you in ways we can't. People who, for all intents and purposes, are going to take you away from him. Is it any wonder he's not thrilled at the idea of taking you to them?"

The way that Ororo's eyes went wide told him that he'd given her plenty to think on. Patting her cheek one last time, he dropped his hand and leaned back against the car once more. He felt her settle in against him again, head back on his shoulder. For a few beats they stayed silent as she thought and he gave her the space in which to do so. Then, whisper soft, Spencer heard "Thank you."

He smiled at the dark and kept staring ahead. "Anytime."

It was only minutes later that Remy came out of the room. The way he shut the door behind him said that the room was cleared and he was probably ready to go. Spencer turned to smile at him even as he and Ororo pushed off the car and straightened up. "Ready?"

" _Oui_. All good out here, cher?" Remy asked.

Spencer gave him a small nod. Though he might've looked like he'd only been reclining here, the young mutant had been doing what he considered his job; watching out for Remy. He'd been making sure the area was clear around them and that no one had crept up on them. They had their fair share of enemies and Spencer made damn sure none of them caught up with them. The years hadn't dulled down his resolve to watch out for Remy. If anything, the vows he'd made all those years ago held him even tighter than before. There was nothing in Spencer's life—absolutely nothing—that came above protecting his partner. He'd pledged his life, body, and soul to keeping Remy safe. He honored that pledge every minute of every day. The trials they'd gone through since they left New Orleans had only made him better, more resolved. Stronger.

The trio slipped down into the car, the two men up front and Ororo in the back. Remy, as always, was driving them. Spencer was used to it. He very rarely got to put his driving skills to use.

Spencer wasn't all that surprised when Remy flipped on the radio and cranked it up loud. The sounds of classic rock blared in the air as they set off on the final leg of their journey. The part that would take them to the X-Men.

They could've made the trip earlier in the day but not even Ororo had really wanted to cut their trip short. So instead of setting out this morning like they could've, they'd dallied around the motel, stretching things out until night had fallen once more. Spencer had paid for another night here, just in case, because it was always best to be prepared and because he knew it eased Remy to know they had somewhere to fall back to in case of trouble. That was a habit the both of them had learned well. Not that Spencer thought they would need it tonight.

Hopefully.

* * *

They arrived at the home of Charles Xavier in a distressingly short amount of time. Remy drove their car right up to the front of the enormous mansion without a hint of hesitation. None of his inner turmoil showed on the outside at all. At twenty one, Remy had already almost perfected what he called his 'poker face'. For as long as Spencer had known him, he'd always been good at hiding what he felt. There were times where you had to really know him to understand what was truly going on underneath the surface. Spencer had a little more insight into Remy's moods than most; when you can see the aura around someone, which usually shows their emotional state pretty clearly, it makes it hard for that person to really hide what they're feeling.

Right now, Remy's predominate emotions were worry and fear. Worry about what would happen, Spencer guessed, and fear of losing the girl in the backseat. A girl who had lit up at the sight of this enormous house.

The front door of the house was opening even before they were fully in park. By the time the car came to a stop, there was someone on the porch, someone that Ororo very obviously recognized. In a flash she was tumbling her way out of the backseat. Her voice echoed loudly through the air, a happy cry of " _Jean_!"

"I aint ready fo' dis." Remy murmured as he pulled the keys out of the ignition.

"Which part?" Spencer asked. He looked over to where Ororo was being embraced by a flame haired woman, and then turned his head back towards his own partner. "Letting her go, or joining up here?"

Remy scowled at him. "Either. Both. Take y'r pick." Without waiting for Spencer to respond, he pushed open the door and rose out of the car. Spencer took just a second to roll his eyes at his friend's actions. Much as he cared for him, sometimes Remy drove him insane. The two had never really lost that snappy bickering that Henri and Jean-Luc had used to constantly roll their eyes or chuckle at. Spencer was still feistier with Remy than he was with anyone else and Remy was just as feisty in return. They bickered, they snapped at each other, they sparred and took their annoyance out on one another, and yet there were no two more loyal to each other than they were.

Slipping on his sunglasses and pulling up his hood, Spencer made sure his face was mostly sheltered before he slipped out of the car to join his friends.

By the time he and Remy joined Ororo on the front porch, more people had come out and Ororo was taking turns embracing them all. She was all warm smiles and bright eyes and her aura was lit up with her happiness. At first no one seemed to notice that she'd come with anyone. Not until one of the people looked up and happened to catch sight of Remy right at the base of the front stairs. The Cajun was standing there practically radiating bored arrogance. The guy who noticed them seemed on the younger side, maybe close towards Remy in age? Blond hair, blue eyes, with a boyish smile and a mischievous look in his eye. Spencer didn't even have to try to See anything. The descriptions Ororo had given them plus the things they already knew were enough to let him know that this had to be Bobby Drake; Iceman.

It would seem the stories Ororo told of Bobby were true; especially the ones where she said he tended to speak before he thought. Without any sense of tact or subtlety, he turned towards them and arched an eyebrow before bluntly asking "Who are you?"

Spence reached out and lightly ghosted his fingers over the small of Remy's back when he reached him, out of sight of everyone else. It was a small gesture meant to remind his friend to be calm.

Luckily for the others, it worked. Remy held in that snarky remark that Spencer knew had to be sitting on the tip of his tongue and simply settled for, "De name's Gambit."

Another person moved forward through the group. He held himself with all the bearing of someone well used to being in charge. _Scott Summers_. There was no mistaking him. Spencer and Remy both knew about him. Scott placed himself in front of the others and used the bit of height advantage the porch provided him to look down at them. "Gambit?"

A smirk curved Remy's lips. Pulling a deck of cards from his pocket, he started one of his more complicated shuffles, one of the ones that Spencer knew he did because it required a focus that didn't leave room for temper. It was one of his little tricks on how to keep himself calm. "Y' must be Cyclops. _Mon petit_ told me all about y'."

"I've heard a bit about you, too." Scott said slowly. There was no mistaking the slight curl of his lip when he said that, making it clear the types of things that he'd heard. "Your reputation precedes you."

Remy looked amused by that. "Is dat right?"

Years of studying Remy's face in sunglasses let Spencer read Scott's face well enough to know that the man's eyes had turned now to him. "And who is your friend?"

"Mine." Remy said firmly, not showing any of his former playfulness in his tone. His cards snapped together briefly as if to accentuate his point. Then they started to move once more in a shuffle just a bit less complicated than the last. He'd made his point, though. Spencer didn't protest it; didn't even flinch, really. He stayed content and quiet just behind Remy's shoulder and watched everything unfold. Now wasn't the time for him to speak up. Now was the time for him to just watch. He knew this was going to play out interestingly. They'd discussed this. It was why Ororo was staying quiet as well. Remy and Spencer both had warned her to let things play out a little before she tried to interject. Best to get some things out in the open right from the start.

What Scott or any of the others might've had to say about that was never discovered. A different voice entirely interrupted their standoff and drew all their attention to the man that was coming out the door. "Well I'll be damned. What's your troublemaking ass doing here, Cajun?" Logan growled lowly as he marched up to their group.

A few people stepped back as if worried, Spencer noticed. They didn't need to be. Remy's whole face lit up at the sight of the feral and his cards disappeared with a flourish. To the complete surprise of those looking on, the Cajun let out a happy call of "Wolvie!" and then darted up the steps to fling his arms around the feral and yank him in for a tight hug. Logan grumbled a little but he hugged him back briefly. When they pulled apart, Logan turned enough to send a smile Spencer's way. "Hey there, kid."

"Logan." Spencer's lips curled faintly but his expression visibly warmed. He didn't go hug him like Remy had. The look they shared was enough of a greeting for them both.

Though Spencer wouldn't call them and Logan close friends, they knew each other well enough. They'd met a few years back when they'd all been hired on the same job. It was one of the few times that Remy had agreed to work with a team. They'd built a friendship with the gruff man during that time. He was one of the few people they'd come across over the years who seemed to accept the two of them the way that they were—their unique friendship and all. Very few people understood or approved of how Spencer and Remy were together. They tried to separate them, or got upset when they asked for Remy and got Spencer as well. Logan just seemed to accept it right from the get-go. He accepted that they were a package deal and he'd respected their protectiveness of one another.

"Why don't we take this conversation inside?" Ororo spoke up from where she was still standing at Jean's side. Her quiet, calm voice drew the attention of everyone. "My story is a long one and it would best be explained somewhere we can all be more comfortable. My brothers and I have had a long journey and there is much to tell."

The use of the word 'brothers' had everyone's attention. Spencer shifted himself just a little more behind Remy. Though Spencer had finally started to grow a bit more in the past few years, sprouting up to six foot by the time he hit seventeen, he was still rail thin even with the muscle he'd built. He had a feeling he would always lean towards the slender side of things no matter how much he worked out. Not like Remy, who had a lean yet still muscled frame. Remy had the body of a dancer, or a martial artist, which worked since he liked to joke he was a little of both sometimes. He was also a couple inches taller than Spencer. It made it easy for Spencer to do as he was doing now and let himself sort of hide a little behind his partner. Spencer didn't mind appearing smaller; people underestimated him that way.

At Scott's direction, the group made their way inside. Spencer followed at Remy's heels and watched his surroundings from underneath the security of his hood. The house was even more gorgeous on the inside. Spencer took in his surroundings as he'd been trained to do, but he saw with amusement that Remy wasn't just assessing his surroundings, he was casing the place, marking the value of everything in his head. Spencer reached out and tapped discreetly against the back of Remy's shoulder. "Behave." He murmured.

Remy snuck a glance over his shoulder and flashed Spencer a grin. "Where's de fun in dat?"

Spencer rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling. Some things would never change.


	2. Chapter 2

They were led through the beautiful house down to what looked like someone's office. Scott's, Spencer was guessing, judging by the way the way that Scott sat against the desk instead of taking any of the various chairs or either of the two couches in the room. He'd set himself up so that he was mostly standing, letting him tower a little over everyone, and it put him as a sort of focal point, a subtle reinforcement of who was in charge here. It was a power play that had Spencer wanting to chuckle. If this man thought that any of his games would intimidate or impress Remy, he had another thing coming. He had no idea what he was getting into with this insolent Cajun.

There were a lot of people that had come with them down to this room. Remy, for all appearances, ignored them all as he chose his seat, though Spencer knew he was keeping careful track of them. It eased a little of Spencer's tension when the seat that Remy chose was the couch by the far wall, which would be the easiest to defend from and also provided at least two semi easy exits.

Remy draped himself over one end of the couch with his usual disregard for natural human form. It never failed to make Spencer want to shake his head when he saw his partner move in that fluid way that would almost suggest he somehow managed to not have an actual bone in his body. It left him tucked into the corner of the couch, one arm on the armrest and the other lying along the back of the couch. His legs were kicked out in front of him in a lazy sprawl that made him look like he'd basically just flopped down and stayed where he landed. Spencer knew how quickly he could move out of that position and with a deadliness that would stun pretty much anyone.

It wasn't surprising that Ororo took the seat beside him. She chose where she was comfortable and most likely where she knew her brothers would be more comfortable having her.

With the others spreading out in various places around them it really only left one place that _Spencer_ felt comfortable being. He slipped around to the back of the couch and took up post behind the two of them. It was the place best suited to watch the room around them and keep an eye on everyone at the same time while still keeping his charges close and in sight. They'd already discussed before they got here just how they were going to play this. Remy was nervous enough as it was and, though he knew inside that this was the right place for them to be, Spencer was nervous too. He didn't like being a room with this many people, let alone this many _powerful_ people.

Between his own knowledge and the knowledge that Ororo had shared with them, it wasn't hard to place who was who. Scott was up there by the desk with his wife, Jean, at his side. Logan took the chair nearest the couch that Remy and Ororo were on. Bobby sat on the other couch, next to a girl who wore long gloves—Rogue, he was guessing—and a pretty young brown haired girl he wasn't too sure about. Another chair was taken by someone who could only be Hank McCoy. Professor Charles Xavier was nowhere in sight. What intelligence they had on this place had said that he wasn't present right now. Where, Spencer had no idea. They just knew he wasn't here.

There was so much to take in about all of them. So many things, all calling to him to look, to delve deeper and _see_. It was almost overwhelming. Without even thinking about it, Spencer slipped his hand forward as discreetly as possible and let his long fingers tangle in a bit of Remy's hair and his knuckles brush up against Remy's neck. The gesture was a familiar one and it served to ground him a little. Mattie's lessons with the two of them had taught them how to work together with Spencer's powers. She'd taught Spencer how to use Remy to ground himself against a ton of input and she'd also taught Remy how to act as a calming, steadying presence when Spencer needed. She'd explained to them both that what they needed to have was a partnership.

Just like she'd told Remy right after Spencer's arrival, after that night of visions, _"He's as much y'r responsibility as y'r his, Remy LeBeau. Dis aint a one sided t'ing. He'll use de Sight to protect y', mais y'll need to protect him in turn. Heavy Dreams like last night take a lot out of de body and de soul. He's gonna be tired an a lil emotional. Dat's when he needs y' de most. De t'ings one sees, dey aint always pleasant, an he's got a tender heart. He needs y' to be steady and strong fo' him until he can find his balance again."_

Remy had told Spencer once about that conversation. It'd proved true time and time again in their years together. Many of the things Spencer Saw were hard on him. The really bad ones could take him down if he wasn't careful, trapping him inside of himself in a prison made of grief and pain that only Remy ever seemed able to break through.

Blinking his gaze to clear it, Spencer tried to rein in his Sight until he was only Seeing a little, not taking in so much at once. When he did, he found quite a few eyes were on him. That only served to make him tense even more. He pressed his fingers against Remy's neck until he could feel the warmth of him. It steadied him.

"Wouldn't your friend like a seat?" Jean offered, her gaze flickering down to the empty space on the couch at Ororo's side and then back up to Spencer and Remy.

Remy didn't even turn to look back at Spencer before answering for him. " _Non, merci._ He's fine where he is."

It was Logan who cut off that conversation before it could get going and brought them back to the important one. "Ro, what happened to you?" He asked, his words cutting through everything else. "We thought you were dead."

Her story wasn't a short one. Spencer stood silently behind the couch and listened as she told them a bare bones account of what she'd been through since she left them. About Nanny, about the Shadow King, about meeting Gambit—all the important things. She hit the high points and left off details that weren't really important in the long run. As she did, Spencer took advantage of the time to look over everyone, to try and get a read on the people around him. He didn't need to listen to her story. He'd heard details from the two of them and he'd Seen so much more.

Little things about those in the room leapt out at Spencer. Much of it was stuff that really wasn't all that pertinent to the situation, though. They were just the type of things that he'd learned to ignore, like the glimpse of Scott and Jean in the future, a baby cradled between them, or the laughing red-headed boy he saw in Bobby's future. Those were things that he just brushed aside. But there were some things, little bits of information here and there, which he logged away in his head to talk about later with Remy. It was a common practice they did when around people they didn't know and that they'd be forced to deal with. Spencer would open himself up enough to pick up on things and then later he and Remy would talk about anything that might be important. Sometimes, when what he saw was more ambiguous, Remy helped him to decipher things that Spencer might not have otherwise understood.

His perusal of the room was broken rather suddenly by something so small it almost missed his notice at first. A little flame colored tendril brushed ever so lightly against the edges of Spencer's mind. Though his body stayed relaxed on the outside, on the inside he immediately snapped to attention. It took only a thought to reinforce the shields that kept his mind protected. That little tendril brushed against his shields again and he closed his eyes so that he could better See it. It was like a little flame, long and thin, just barely a whisper against the edges of his mind, slipping and twisting as it sought out any sort of crack through which it could slip, any way it might be able to slide in. Spencer wasn't a telepath, but he had amazing control over his own internal energies. Carefully, gently, he used the energy in his own aura and gathered it to him, just out of sight. Then he created a small spot that would appear weak, and he waited. Waited oh-so-patiently as that little flame got closer and closer.

When the flame found that spot he'd created, it wasted no time, suddenly sharpening and reaching to dive right in. In a flash, Spencer pushed his own energy and _grabbed_.

He heard a loud gasp in the physical room around him and he opened his eyes once more. Still hidden by the shadows of his hood, Spencer's eyes easily followed the trail of that flame back to the aura it belonged to. A telepath reaching out to someone's mind always looked so interesting to Spencer's inner eye. It was like a thin line of their aura reached out and touched the aura of the other person. He could follow the thin, whip like trail of fire right back to Jean Grey. As he looked at her, her aura flared hot and bright, a dangerous fire that was quickly banked, though not gone. Simply—waiting. Their eyes met across the room and Spencer briefly tightened his mental hold before abruptly releasing her and drawing his own energy back. He watched her flame shoot back towards her and join the rest of the fire.

Scott turned towards her and put a hand on her shoulder in an openly protective gesture. "Jean?" He said just her name, but it was full of other questions.

Neither Jean nor Spencer looked away from each other. There were countless ways that Spencer knew he could play this. A few years back, he would've just blocked her and that was it, letting her try and fail to get in. But life and circumstances had changed that in him. Now, he wasn't as laid back. He ignored the others completely and refused to back down. "In my family, it's considered rude to try and force your way into someone's mind without their permission."

"What did you do to her?" Scott demanded sharply.

The whole room had stopped when Jean had gasped and they were all looking back and forth now between Scott, Jean and Spencer. Or, almost all of them.

Remy arched his eyebrows overtop his sunglasses as he looked at the two by the desk. "Sounds t'me like it aint m'boy dat's de one dat was doin' wrong, _homme_."

"Really?" Scott said. His lip curled up in a sneer. "Because from here…"

The light touch of Jean's hand over his was enough to cut Scott off. "No, Scott. Gambit's right." She never took her eyes off of Spencer. "He's right. You have my most sincere apologies, young man." Those words, Spencer knew, were directed right at him. "Your shields are amazing. You've got almost no presence at all and I've never seen anything like that and I couldn't resist looking. But that's no excuse. There are no excuses. I'm so sorry."

There was nothing but sincerity in her words. Spencer watched her carefully for a moment before he finally gave a nod. "You have mine, too. I shouldn't have been so…forceful." Not that he really regretted it. But getting off on the wrong foot with these people wasn't something they could really afford.

"I'm surprised you felt me." Jean admitted. Her curiosity was showing now. Bracing her hands on the desk on either side of her, she leaned forward just the slightest bit, and her next words were clearly fishing for more information. "You, the both of you, have amazing shields."

" _Merci,_ cher." Remy said, his voice a low flirtatious purr. "We try." If she'd thought to get anything out of them, she was sadly mistaken. Remy sat there smirking at her and Spencer said not a word.

It was someone else who reacted to it. Rolling his eyes, Logan called out "Quit flirting with Jeannie, Gumbo, before One-Eye there busts that vein in his head." There was no real bite to his words. Anyone who spent any amount of time with Remy knew that he flirted as easily as he breathed. Logan had learned that the last time and the two men had played quite an amusing game with it. Logan didn't actively flirt back with Remy, but he didn't seriously dissuade him, either. He mostly just rolled his eyes and went with it. To Remy, that was basically explicit permission to continue what he was doing.

A real smile touched Remy's lips and he let out a husky laugh. "Y" aint no fun, Wolvie."

"Can we get back on track here?" Scott interrupted them. The way he looked at Remy had Spencer wanting to sigh and roll his eyes at the same time. Oh, yeah, these two were getting off to a _great_ start. This was going to be interesting. Scott was pretty much everything in one person that Remy absolutely loved to screw with. The only reason he wasn't really trying to do it right now was that this was important. They were here to help Ororo before anything else. That was probably the only thing that kept Remy quiet as Scott drew the room's attention back to the important things. The leader turned to look at Dr. McCoy. "Hank, is there anything we can do to help her?"

"We can most certainly try." Hank answered. He looked over at Ororo and gave her a smile that was full of warmth and affection. "I will endeavor to do my very best to help you, my dear Ororo."

She smiled back at him and Spencer could easily see the care she held for the doctor. "As always, I have faith in you my friend."

"We might be able t'help with dat." Remy said lazily. A cigarette had appeared between his finger and he was twirling it now but had yet to try and light it

His words seemed to surprise a few while rousing suspicion in others. There were more than a few skeptical looks shot their way. One person, however, spoke up for them all. "Are we supposed to just trust ya?" The woman, Rogue, asked him, her southern tone easily conveying her incredulousness. She tilted her head and gave Remy an arch look. "We don't even know who you are—you _or_ your 'friend' back there. Why should we trust you?"

It was Ororo who answered that. "Because _I_ trust them." Her voice was calm and steady with an almost regal air to it. She was every inch the goddess Spencer had seen she could be. Calm, cool, controlled. "I trust Gambit and Seidr with my life. They have been nothing but good to me."

"Are you sure, Ororo?" Scott asked her. "Are you sure this isn't just some big, long con? I have a hard time trusting a known thief and his partner, one who's carefully kept his face hidden this entire time."

"I trust them." She repeated. She offered nothing more. Just those quiet, steady words. Yet they seemed to be enough.

"All right." Scott said. He straightened up from the desk and everything in his body language clearly said just how little he liked this and how little he trusted them. That was exactly what Spencer had expected, though. He'd known they'd be treated this way. They were newcomers here in what was a very tight knit circle of people. Despite what Ororo said about them accepting new 'students' or members here, one look at them all showed the bonds that tied these people together closer than even some families. New people might join but getting in to that inner circle would take some time and serious work. The way that Scott was looking at them now suggested that it might take them a little longer than others. They hadn't exactly made a great impression on him so far. "Ororo trusts you." He told Remy and Spencer. "So we're going to extend some of that same trust to you. But, I don't think it's unreasonable to request that we know who exactly it is we're extending that trust to."

The sound that Remy made at that managed to be both rude and derisive. His head tipped toward Ororo and Spencer just knew the man would be arching an eyebrow at her and probably giving that smirk that could be so very infuriating. "Y' didn't say just how rude y'r _amis_ was, petit."

"It's rude to wanna know who we're dealing with?" Rogue asked archly.

"It is when y' don't accept de answers y' get." Remy shot right back. "We all know it aint me y'r asking after, an we told y' who m'boy back dere is. Ororo called him Seidr an I told y' de boy's mine. It aint m' fault dat y' don't like what y' hear. It's more dan we've given some."

That was true. Some people they dealt with didn't even get to know anything at all about Spencer beyond Remy's introductory 'he's mine' that he always answered with when people asked about Spencer. This wasn't their usual thing, though. This wasn't just some quick in and out job that they were working. This was supposed to be the start of a new life here. They were supposed to be joining up with these people; Spencer had seen that so strongly in their future. This was the place they were supposed to be. If they wanted to be able to be here with them and stay here with them then they needed to be honest about who they were.

Spencer lifted both hands up to his hood and silently drew it back from his head. No matter how many years went by, he still hated to show off his hair to anyone, and he hated the looks it got him. People always seemed surprise to see the shining silver hair. Spencer forced himself not to flinch now as everyone's eyes settled on him. He pulled off his sunglasses as well and slid them down into his pocket. Then he lifted his chin ever so slightly. He ignored Scott, Jean, all of the people that, right now, weren't important. His gaze found Hank's and held there. "I have a few ideas that I believe might be able to help Ororo regain her size. If you'd allow me, Dr. McCoy, I'd like to accompany you to your labs and show you what I've come up with."

When the doctor rose to his feet, Spencer smiled.

* * *

It should've figured that letting Spencer talk would be the quickest way to move things along. Much as the boy hated to talk to anyone, he was pretty damn good at it when he finally did. Remy smirked to himself and shook his head a little. Spencer liked to say that Remy was the one with the silver tongue, able to talk them in and out of just about any kind of trouble, but he never gave himself enough credit. He never seemed to realize just what kind of weight his words held when he took the time to speak seriously. Remy surmised that it had something to do with Spencer's powers. When he really took the time to speak, when he was serious and wanted to make a point, there was this weight to his words, this look on his face that spoke of someone far older than Spencer's nineteen years. It was the voice and look of someone who had seen and done so very much in their lives and were wiser for it. 'An old man's wisdom in the body of a child' one man had labeled it.

More often than not Spencer was far more content to just stay in the background. He was quite comfortable in his place at Remy's back and firmly out of the limelight.

Then there were times like now where Spencer was completely and totally in his element. Over the light link that had formed between them over the years—one that Spencer had some long, complicated explanation for, but that Remy didn't really care to try and define—Remy could feel Spencer's ease and a sense of confidence that only ever came out when Spencer was either speaking of what he'd seen, or speaking of something that he knew well like math or science or those thousands of facts his brilliant mind had memorized. Right now it was probably a combination of all those.

It hadn't taken long for Hank, Spencer, and Ororo to head down to the medical center of this crazy mansion. That's where Spencer was now. He was working with Hank to try and help fix their little Ororo so that she wouldn't be so little anymore. Remy had been banished to waiting right outside the lab doors along with Scott, Jean and Logan. The rest had been sent off to do something else, some _where_ else.

Waiting out here was fine by Remy. He couldn't stand labs. And he'd looked inside this one—there was nowhere that he could see for them to use to take Spencer away from him. Not unless it was really hidden.

God help them if they tried. Spencer wasn't a pushover; he'd put up a hell of a fight. That alone would be enough to get Remy's attention and then he'd come in and make damn sure anyone coming after his partner regretted it for a long, long time. He'd done it before. He wasn't afraid to do it again. No one touched what belonged to him. _No one._

Remy was propped up against the wall just outside the medical lab doors. He was slouched back against the wall, one ankle crossed over the other, arms crossed over his chest and an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. He gave it a few minutes after they'd gone in before he pressed a fingertip to the end of his cigarette and put just a tiny charge in there, enough to only spark and not actually blow. It was just enough to light his cigarette. He'd worked hard to practice that skill. There'd been plenty of blown-up cigarettes until he'd gotten the hang of it.

"There's no smoking down here." Scott said firmly the minute he realized what Remy was doing.

The grin that curved Remy's lips would've had Spencer rolling his eyes at him. The boy never reacted to Remy's snark or threats the way he was supposed to. Drawing in a deep drag off his cigarette, Remy gave Scott an amused look and blew out a thin stream of smoke. Across from him, leaning against the opposite wall, he could see Logan not even bothering to hide his grin.

Jean laid a hand on her husband's arm and Remy was amused to see how quickly the man settled down then. He was just too much fun.

In a so very obvious attempt to change the subject, Jean asked "What do you think they're doing in there? Do you think they'll be able to fix her?"

"Hell if Remy knows what dey're doin'." The Cajun said, shrugging. "Aint into all dat science shit, me. Dat's m' boy's department. He can deal with dem t'ings. But y' can believe dey're gonna fix her, cher." Spencer would make sure of it. He'd told Remy already that he'd Seen what it was they needed to do. If there was anything in the world that Remy trusted, it was Spencer's abilities. He'd learned the hard way not to ignore or discount them. That only ended up with one or the both of them hurt.

It was probably more satisfying than it should've been to stand there and smoke. There was this little vein in Scott's forehead that seemed to twitch each time Remy took a drag off his cigarette.

The thing twitched even more when Logan drew a cigar out of his flannel.

Remy held up two fingers and grinned over at Logan. "Need a light?"

"Yeah, right." Logan rolled his eyes at him and shook his head. "I don't trust ya not to blow the damn thing in my face."

"Wolvie!" Drawing his hand back in, Remy laid it over his heart. "Fo' shame! Y' don't trust dis po' boy?"

The grin he got in response was all sharp teeth and open threat and it reminded Remy why he'd liked this man so much when they'd first met. There was just something open and raw and primal about the feral man. He was who he was and you could either deal with it or get the hell out of his way. He was tough and sharp and not afraid to snap and snarl at Remy, but he wasn't a complete ass about it and he didn't take it too far like the other feral that Remy had known. Logan was the type of guy you could trust to have your back when shit went down and he was the type that you could go out to have a drink with afterwards.

"So, you two know one another?" Scott asked, interrupting their little conversation.

Amusement colored Remy's voice. "Aint y' just de smart one, _homme_. What was y'r first clue?"

Logan let out a growl that somehow, rather impressively, managed to convey both his annoyance and his amusement at the same time. He shot Remy a glare and then shook his head once more. Then he looked over at Scott. "You want questions answered without the attitude, you should probably wait till his boy's back with him. Seidr's the only one that can keep a lock on that sharp tongue over there."

"That's an interesting name." Jean said. She leaned in to Scott ever so slightly in one of those moves that came to couples who'd been together for a while. The kind of move that said they were well used to being up in one another's space. "I don't think I've ever heard that word before. Seidr." She said it as if she were rolling the word around her tongue and testing the shape and weight of it.

The word was just a bit different, spelled Seidr but pronounced kind of like 'SAY-der'. It was a different one, Remy knew. But it was special to Spencer. Henri had been the one to give it to him. One of the last things that he'd given Spencer before they'd left. He'd been studying Norse Mythology at the time as part of his studies and it was something he'd come across that he'd thought was interesting. Because Henri had been the one to give it to him, Spencer had latched onto it, and Remy couldn't blame him for that. It was a bit of a connection to the family back home they weren't allowed to see.

Remy pushed those thoughts back with the skill of long-time practice and he made himself smile at Jean instead. "It's an old word, cher." He and Spencer had discussed what they'd let these people know and what they wouldn't. Spencer had agreed with him that explaining his name was a good idea. Remy had to admit the idea of giving them that little definition and letting them try and figure him out would be amusing. Again, it was more than they'd given most people. They didn't often explain anything about Spencer to anyone. He was none of their business. But this place was supposed to be different. "Seidr is a form of pre-Christian Norse magic an shamanism dat was concerned with discerning and altering de course of destiny by reweaving parts of destiny's web."

They were looking at him now like he'd gone and sprouted another head. Remy smothered a snicker and drew one last final drag off his cigarette before charging what was left and flicking it above them. He snickered as Scott took a quick step back and drew Jean back with him. Remy hadn't put much of a charge in it, though, and it exploded with only a small pop above them all.

A sense of deep satisfaction and a hint of relief washed over the connection in Remy's head and he immediately turned to look towards the labs. "Dey did it."

"What?" Scott said immediately.

Remy didn't have to repeat himself. The doors opened a second later and Hank and Spencer appeared there. Hank had a bright grin on his face that he directed towards Scott the second he saw him. "It is done." He told his leader. "She is sleeping now and will continue to do so for a while as her body recovers. However, our dear Ororo is back to her former self."

On silent feet, Spencer slipped around Hank and moved directly to Remy. His coat was off, draped over one arm, and Remy looked him over and noted that he needed to start making sure Spencer ate more. He'd gotten too thin again. The man's relationship with food was atrocious. There were far too many times that he simply forgot to eat. Food wasn't high on his list of priorities. He didn't starve himself or anything like that; he just focused too much on other stuff and eating just felt to the wayside. That was where Remy came in. It was one of the ways that he made sure to take care of his partner. If Spencer wouldn't remember to eat, Remy would remember for him.

He could also see the light lies of tension that sat on Spencer that no one else would probably notice. Remy wasn't the only one who disliked labs. Spencer was more comfortable in them than Remy was, more able to move and work in them, but they held memories for him as well that Remy could see lurking behind his eyes. He responded to it without thinking, pushing off the wall and reaching out as Spencer got close to him. He didn't hug him like he wanted, nor pull him in close. Instead, he limited himself to what they were both comfortable with here in front of people—people who were unabashedly watching them. He caught Spencer's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze as the man reached him and he let his body press in just enough that he was right in Spencer's space without shoving up against him entirely. Spencer gave him a grateful smile for it.

"She's all right." Spencer said. He lifted a hand and tucked a bit of hair behind his ear as he tipped his head to better be able to look at Remy's face. "Sleeping, as Dr. McCoy said, but all right. She won't wake before morning."

"Why don't the two of you come with me and we'll get you set up in some rooms so that you can rest as well?" Jean offered.

Even if they hadn't already planned on staying here, one look at Spencer's face would've been enough to convince Remy. Under Spencer's eyes had a sort of bruised look to it and there was a heaviness to his eyes that spoke of more than a few restless nights. How had he not noticed this before? How on earth was Spencer still capable of hiding these things from him? If not for the harsh light of the hallway here, he might've still been able to hide it, but the light revealed the things that Spencer had obviously been keeping to himself. The way he looked told a clear tale to Remy. It spoke of nights spent in visions that it seemed he wasn't sharing with his partner. They'd have to have a talk about that—tomorrow. Rest and relaxation were the first priorities.

Any sign of Remy's earlier snark was gone now as he gave Jean one of his best smiles, the one that had gotten him out of quite a bit of trouble over the years. "We'd appreciate dat, cher. It's been a long trip here and Gambit's ready fo' a rest, yeah."

Jean smiled back at him. "Of course. We've got a few nice rooms upstairs. It'll take no time at all to get some blankets together and get you two set up."

"Just one room." Remy told her even as he tugged Spencer forward to walk with her. He ignored Scott, Hank, and Logan completely and just followed after Jean.

Behind him, the three men watched them go, Remy chatting animatedly the whole way to Jean while Spencer followed silently at Remy's side. It wasn't until the elevator doors closed that Scott finally voiced what was on his mind. "I don't trust them."

The look Logan gave him showed just how unsurprised he was by that. "I think they got that. Hell, I'm pretty sure _everyone_ got that."

"They seem to care very greatly for Ororo." Hank pointed out. "They rescued her and kept her safe, and they brought her to us. Not only that, but young Seidr was very instrumental in healing her. I do not know if I would've been able to do it without his assistance."

"There's something they're not telling us. They've got some sort of angle here." Scott insisted.

This time, Logan laughed. "Course they do. They're Thieves, aint they? I'd be more shocked if they _didn't._ " Pushing off the wall, he shook his head at Scott. "Quick bit of advice, Scooter. Don't be so quick to judge those two. They aint all that they seem."

Scott's eyebrows rose over his glasses. "That doesn't sound like a glowing recommendation."

"They're good kids. I worked with 'em before and I'd work with 'em again, easily."

"But?"

There was only a moment's hesitation as Logan obviously debated his words. Then he came to a decision and shrugged one shoulder almost negligently. "But, keep in mind when you're dealing with 'em they're loyal to each other above everything else. You bring 'em in, they'll work for you and they'll do a damn good job, but they're partners and you gotta be prepared for that. Their priority is gonna be each other. Especially Seidr. There aint nothing and no one more important in that kid's life than his partner. Not even himself. You might wanna keep that in mind when you deal with them."

That said, Logan headed off down the hall towards the elevator, thinking to himself that maybe he'd go pay his friends a visit before they tucked in.

Scott watched him go. His mind was racing with everything, trying to take all the facts, all the little details, and put them together. He had nowhere near enough to build an accurate image of these two men but he had a feeling that every little detail was going to matter.

Something told Scott things were about to change in the house. He just wasn't sure yet if it was for the good or not. That still remained to be seen.


End file.
